1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foam block replacement barge that is designed for use in replacing foam block floatation material that is employed to support floating docks, marinas, and boat houses commonly found on inland lakes and rivers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Floating docks, marinas, and boat houses can be found in abundance on inland lakes and rivers. The floating structures are supported on the water by employing a plurality of blocks of floatation material that are secured together and onto which the floating structures are built using conventional methods. The most common type of floatation material is foam blocks. Although these foam blocks come in various sizes, the normal size is 2 feet tall, 3 feet wide, and 8 feet long.
Over time, these foam blocks deteriorate due chiefly to the action of light, water and physical abrasion on the blocks. As the blocks deteriorate, they gradually lose their ability to support the floating structure that is built on top of them. For this reason, it is necessary to periodically replace one or more of the foam blocks that support a floating structure.
However, replacing the foam blocks is not an easy task. Obviously, the floating structure that is supported by the foam blocks can not be raised or removed to get to the foam blocks. And because the blocks are buoyant, they can not easily be pulled downward in the water to extract them from their position under the floating structure. To more easily remove the blocks, they can be cut into smaller pieces and then the pieces can be removed. However, if the blocks are cut, this causes debris from the old blocks to be released into the water. Also, if the old foam blocks have been successfully removed from under the floating structure, the new blocks must then be pulled downward in the water to insert them under the floating structure in the space that the old blocks had previously occupied.
To remove the older blocks and insert new blocks requires that a diver go under the floating structure and attach cables to the blocks to remove the old blocks and then again to guide the new blocks into place under the floating structure that is supported by the blocks. In cooler climates, the cold temperature of the water can make this an uncomfortable job for the diver and can also limit the periods during the year when this job can be done. This makes removal and replacement of the foam blocks a time consuming and expensive operation.
Because of the difficulty in both removing the old blocks and then inserting new replacement block, currently old blocks are rarely removed. Instead, new blocks are normally added at the sides of existing blocks. This is done by first adding additional angle iron runners or track for the new block to slide into and adding a metal frame to the new block. Then the new block is moved along the runners by using a winch to pull the block under the runners and into position so that the new block helps to support the structure.
One problem with this method of adding new blocks to the existing older blocks is that the floatation base becomes wider and wider until the base limits access to the floating structure via the water.
Another problem with the current method is that because the old blocks are not removed from the floating structure, the old blocks gradually deteriorate. The old blocks are ugly and detract from the appearance of the structure. The deteriorating blocks with eventually break into pieces that will drift out into the body of water, thereby adding to the debris that is floating on the water and that accumulates on the shore of the body of water.
Still another problem with the current method is that these deteriorating old blocks tend to become waterlogged and loose their buoyancy, thus becoming less and less able to support the floating structure. As the deteriorating old blocks lose their ability to support the floating structure, the floating structure actually sinks lower and lower into the water. When blocks become waterlogged, their reduced ability to support the floating structure can let the metal framework of the floating structure sink below the water line. This accelerates the process of rusting and corrosion, and if allowed to remain in this condition, can eventually damage the floating structure to the point that it is too costly to repair and must be dismantled and removed from the water.
A further problem is that older types of foam blocks are susceptible to chemical degradation by fuel used by boats that accidentally is spilled into the water. When the fuel contacts the unprotected float blocks, the foam melts at the water level. Newer plastic coated or encapsulated foam blocks are much more resistant to chemical attack by fuel that may have been spilled in the water. Those newer types of encapsulated foam blocks are also less likely to become waterlogged.
The present invention addresses these problems by providing a barge with a float sinker that is able to easily grasp and remove old blocks of foam from under a floating structure and replace them with new foam blocks. One advantage of the present invention is that the operator of the barge replaces foam blocks while remaining safely on the deck of the barge. The barge is provided with a boom that extends between the float sinker and the barge so that the float sinker can be remotely maneuvered and operated by the operator who is located on the deck of the barge. Because the operator is not required to enter the water in order to replace foam blocks, the season during which replacement work can be done is greatly extended. Using the present invention, the replacement procedure can be performed at any time that the weather is not threatening and the water is not frozen.
Another advantage of the present invention is that foam blocks can be quickly and easily located and positioned under a floating structure by use of the float sinker. The barge is provided with a float sinker with arms for releasably grasping the blocks. The float sinker can be flooded to pull the blocks downward in the water and the water can be pushed out of the float sinker to allow the blocks to again rise to the surface.
Still a further advantage of the present invention is that the barge makes the removal and replacement of old foam blocks fast and economical, thus enabling the owner of the floating structure to afford to replace old blocks instead of allowing them to remain in the water where they fall apart and add to the floating debris on the water.
Another advantage of the present invention is that it is designed with plates on its clamp arms that allow it to hold and to install the new encapsulated blocks with minimal side squeezing force exerted on the block, thereby reducing the chance of cracking the encapsulating plastic shell of this type of floatation block.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that the float sinker can be detached from the barge and loaded onto the deck of the barge for transport, allowing the barge to be transported on a trailer from one location to another. This enables a single barge to service floating structures that are located on more than one body of water. This increases the customer base for each barge, making the barge more profitable and thereby further reducing the cost for replacing foam blocks for any one floating structure.